Hearing that Gov. Mitch Daniels got pink toenails during his knee surgery was funny; but a comment he made to a Hoosier newspaper isn’t funny to millions of Hoosiers; including thousands of African-Americans.
During this year’s caustic legislative session, when Democrats were in exile in Illinois over the right-to-work issue, Daniels stood on the sidelines.
Not anymore.
Speaking to the editorial board of the Kokomo Tribune, Daniels said the lack of right-to-work “is costing the state opportunities to attract business.”
Daniels praised a legislative study committee which examined the issue last month saying they “confirmed that the lack of right-to-work legislation is costing Indiana job opportunities.”
Now, Daniels didn’t tell the newspaper’s readers that the legislative committee only accepted evidence from biased pro-business witnesses. Evidence showing that right-to-work laws lower wages and living standards for residents was rejected by the Republican-majority committee.
The right-to-work debate has been going on for years. Decades ago, Indiana was a right-to-work state, but a subsequent legislature repealed it.
Daniels, rabid legislative Republicans and many misguided Hoosiers believe right-to-work would help Indiana’s economy and reverse falling incomes.
But despite reams of data the U.S. and Indiana Chambers of Commerce and the rabid rightwing supporters of right-to-work produce, there’s one packet of statistics always missing.
Specifically how has right-to-work helped raise the incomes and standard of living of African-Americans?
It’s a documented historical fact that union membership – especially in automotive, government workers, manufacturing – helped create and grow America’s Black middle class, the men and women that put millions of African-Americans to work and put their kids through college.
So, here’s my challenge to my governor, the poobahs at the State Chamber and the other sycophants for right-to-work. Show me your data. Show me your concrete empirical, statistical data that shows that right-to-work has helped raise the standards of living of African-Americans in right-to-work states. Where are the numbers? Where are the statistics? Where’s the beef?
If you can show me concrete proof that right-to-work laws and policies have benefited African-American communities in this country, then I’ll let Gov. Daniels paint my toenails pink. No joke!
I can stand the look if you can stand proving something you haven’t yet been able to prove.
My toenails are waiting…
What I’m hearing in the streets
The IPS School Board is coming close to breaking state law that mandates school districts must redraw their board district boundaries in preparation for 2012 School Board elections. IPS should’ve already begun that work, which must include public input.
Two months ago, I asked Board President Mary Busch and the other six board members how they planned to handle redistricting. My inquiry was referred to IPS staff, which may be a technical violation of law, since redistricting is an elected board’s responsibility not staff.
My inquiry discovered that IPS Board and staff were woefully ignorant on the redistricting process.
Instead of using the official 2010 Census population of persons in the IPS District, IPS planners called the IUPUI POLIS Center which gave them data showing the overall population within IPS district was 314,173.
The problem is the official 2010 Census count for the IPS District is 296,715.
If I hadn’t inquired, IPS planners would’ve tried redistricting using data with a 17,458 person error. (This might explain why IPS’ planning staff is constantly clueless about population and demographic shifts within the district.)
I brought this absurd and possibly illegal discrepancy to IPS’ attention. I also checked with the Indiana Department of Education who said that school districts must use official 2010 Census counts to redistrict.
I hear IPS realized I called this mistake to their attention. But IPS Board members and officials won’t acknowledge the mistakes of their planning staff nor admit publicly that I pointed out their demographic shortcomings.
Meanwhile, I’m learning now that IPS still refuses to start redistricting work. Seems they’re waiting for the botched city effort to make corrections to precinct boundaries.
Problem is, if IPS waits for the city, it’ll cause IPS to violate state law which says redistricting must be done by the end of 2011. Or worse, IPS will try to ram a new district boundary map down voters’ throats without adequate discussion.
All because the spineless members of our IPS School Board are letting their staff and attorneys do their work for them, instead of exercising their own leadership on one of the few duties specifically assigned to an elected school board.
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For nearly a decade, she’s graced middays on Indianapolis radio with humor, reality, style and grace.
Listeners to WHHH-FM (96.3) knew her as “JJ.” Her real name is Jillian Simmons and since 2002 she’s been the midday DJ on Indy’s popular hip-hop and R&B station.
Arriving in Indy from Dayton, JJ wanted to get involved in Indy. And did she ever! Devoting her time to fighting HIV/AIDS, health and other issues, JJ got her audience involved in community activities.
JJ leaves Hot 96.3 and Indy to go to Radio One’s sister station The Box/KBXX-FM in Houston; moving from the 11th largest to the 4th largest city.
Houston’s gain is Indianapolis’ loss as our community will miss JJ’s professionalism, community dedication and bright positive voice on our airwaves.
May I join her thousands of listeners and admirers in wishing JJ and her family the best as she furthers her career in hot, humid Houston.
As JJ leaves, another talented African-American woman joins the staff of America’s oldest FM Black radio station.
In the late-1990’s, you heard Karen Vaughn middays on WTLC-FM. She also served as music director.
After leaving WTLC, Vaughn went to Miami. Most recently, she’s been midday DJ and assistant program director for Radio One’s Urban Adult WZAK-FM in Cleveland.
This week, Vaughn returned to Indy as program director of WTLC-FM (106.7), which at age 43 is the oldest Black FM radio station in the country.
I welcome Karen back to Indianapolis and WTLC.
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to acbrown@aol.com.
